- the Pasifika youth's fight against suicide

(caption for the below picture): No Limits director and Ara Institute of Canterbury Pasifika Liaison Sela Faletolu-Fasi (inset with mic), performing with young Pasifika performers at the YMCA theatre in Christchurch on November 4. The show which has been performed by the team since last four years is known to leave audiences in tears when the reality of challenges Pacifika youth face hits home. After the show, former mayor Garry Moore complimented the young performers saying, "I have never contemplated suicide in my life. So to see what all our youth face while tackling the hardships of life is an eye-opener." Councillor Glenn Livingstone added, "We hear you. Now is the time all of us - the decision makers - sit together to find a solution to this problem."

When the No Limits crew of young Pasifika performers began exploring themes for their next show, one issue dominated the brainstorming process.

It was not a surprise to No Limits director and Ara Institute of Canterbury Pasifika Liaison Sela Faletolu-Fasi, who created the No Limits programme with her husband Silivelio Fasi four years ago to give Pasifika youth a voice through devising and performing original shows.

NZ’s sad statistics
New Zealand again recorded the highest teen suicide rates in the developed world, the OECD recently reported, but the problem has also impacted on No Limits directly.

No Limits is like a family for the young Pasifika performers. So when in December last year No Limits member Tala Mailei succumbed to suicide, the entire group was hit hard.

The show, Speak Your Truth 2.0: Don’t Dream It’s Over, held on 4 and 5 November at the YMCA theatre, is dedicated to Mailei and his family and friends.

Talking about suicide in their latest production is a way of minimising risk for the No Limits! Pasifika performance group.

However the groups’ experience with suicide ran even deeper. “It has been an absolutely emotional journey for all of us, because obviously we are thinking about Tala, but that’s only part of it,” Faletolu-Fasi said. “The performers relate to suicide from their own lives. Every single person in the room had thought about it at some time in their lives. It’s rampant.”

“They wanted to address suicide. They said, ‘we believe that this is so important for adults and young people to hear it from us directly’. I just have to support them in that process.”

From a Pasifika perspective

Le Va, the non-government organisation leading New Zealand’s first national Pasific suicide prevention programme, states that “among Pasifika young people, suicide is the leading cause of death”. The Le Va website cites recent provisional figures released by the Chief Coroner (2007-2014) showing that on average, 26 Pasifika people have died by suicide each year in the last seven years.

Giving young Pasifika a platform to explore issues that impact them the most is a novel approach, but four years on Faletolu-Fasi is seeing positive changes in young lives, where it really counts.

Decision makers are taking notice. Faletolu-Fasi has urged MPs, policy makers, principals, teachers and service providers to see No Limits performances. Statistics and policies are one thing – bringing audiences to tears as they experience the personal stories of Pasifika youth first hand is quite another.

For the performers, the presence of influencers in the audience is empowerment in itself. “In all honesty they feel a sense of validation, of being important, because the story that they are telling impacts everyone and is particularly bad in Christchurch. Articles about Canterbury having the highest suicide rate in the country were coming out during rehearsal, and the kids were posting them up on the group Facebook page. They have been in tears.

“They will perform for people who can start to make changes, but for them it’s the validation that people at high levels are listening to them.”

Decision makers are listening

No Limits has given Faletolu-Fasi a voice too at some powerful forums. Whatever the audience, she never deviates from speaking up for Pasifika youth.

“No Limits has a way of engaging people where they’re at, whether they have 10 degrees, a PhD and they’re earning 6 figures or they’re working in a factory.”

Faletolu-Fasi is aware of the risk inherent in exploring suicide with 12 to 25 year olds, and has made the group aware of suicide prevention resources and services. The No Limits members told her they won’t use these services; they are not seen as specific to or relevant for Pasifika. Against the shroud of silence recently brought to light by media, these young people want to talk about suicide.

“To them that is a key element, having platforms like this where they can speak up openly and allow the door to open for others to ask for help.”

“During the performances we had the He Waka Tapu suicide prevention team ready outside the doors should any issues be triggered in the audience. There were also be cards on every seat with helpline numbers and contact details of suicide prevention organisations.”

The response needs to be community-driven Faletolu-Fasi says, and everyone has a responsibility. “This is the bed we have made for ourselves as a society; it‘s not just the government policy, we are talking about us, our families, the church, the education system, the government, the justice system, the social service sector – there are so many ducks that are not lined up.”

Calling on community support
“In a way, we are all suffering in a silence, but this is our chance as a community to stand up and say it’s OK to be vulnerable, even during the most successful time of your life to feel like everything is not going your way, it’s OK to tell people and gather together as a community," added Faletolu-Fasi.